struggling is left scrambling to avert a nuclear disaster. >> the people are worried because we don't really understand the radioactivity. and you have to give faith in the scientists that study this kind of thing. and tonight, they're in the bay area to put the world at ease. the brightest minds in the nuclear business talk about big changes that need to be made. and her mission of love in japan that comes with a warning for every household back home. good evening, i'm garvin thomas. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. nuclear scientists in japan tonight admit they're fighting an invisible enemy, radiation. the levels again spiking at those damaged power plants. now, just hours ago japanese crews innohi cok choppers started dumping sea water on reactors. in washington, u.s. officials are now warning that one, if not two, of those plants may be on the verge of spewing more radioactive material. and those fears are prompting a

mass exodus from tokyo tonight. with the obama administration authorizing the first evacuations of americans. among those, nbc's chris jansing who talked with us minutes ago from the airport in tokyo. >> reporter: it's going to be interesting to see what the reaction of the japanese people is when they hear this news because america is the strongest ally. and i think for them to say that their people need to leave the dependence of their embassy personnel said that there's a recognition that there is some danger here. >> nbc's lester holt now with the latest on the frantic effort to stop that nuclear crisis. >> reporter: there are concerns tonight about a possible breach in the containment vessel at reactor 3. a confirmed breach in reactor 2 is already leaking radiation. and there are new fears at the all-important water cooling the still highly radioactive spent fuel rods at reactor 4 is dangerously low.

workers were temporarily evacuated during the night. and a water drop by helicopter was aborted after radiation levels briefly surged. but the public no longer knows what to believe. 77-year-old emperor ahito made a rare tv address. "i am deally concerned about the nuclear situation because it is so unpredictable," he said. these enormous lines in sendai are people waiting for one bus out of town. back in the disaster zone, snow and cold today hampering rescue efforts. but hope has not been abandoned. >> if you can hear me, make a news. >> reporter: uk rescue teams today search a home after family members believe they hear a voice. >> our chances are small, but we'll really do our best. >> reporter: after dogs and teams go in, only a body comes out. lester holt, nbc news, tokyo. and tonight a former u.s. president weighed in on the disaster in japan.

bill clinton was in san francisco. he says the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear fallout is an economic setback for japan. he also talked about the forces of nature no country could withstand. >> japan is a wonderfully well organized society. yes, they have problems getting out of their financial collapse. and just when i thought they were doing it, they have an 8.9 earthquake. and nuclear plants that were clearly as well constructed and as well protected as any in the world, i found out that there are some things that no structures can resist. >> president clinton was in town to address an internet convention. with so much information and yet so little clarity coming out of japan, there's understandably a heightened level of anxiety. tonight, though, the best and the brightest in the world met here in the east bay to put the crisis unfolding in japan into context for the rest of us. nbc bay area's cheryl hurd was at that meet tonight. she joins us live to tell us what she learned. >> reporter: jessica, people are

hungry for information all over the world. especially here on uc-berkeley's campus where there are a number of experts with answers. >> traffic jam happened everywhere. >> reporter: a room filled with concerned people on uc-berkeley's campus, many wanting answers about what appears to be an escalating nuclear crisis in japan. >> you cannot get out of japan right now. it's impossible to move. so should they stay? should they try to move? people are trying to make decisions. >> reporter: the latest reports out of japan say the country has 48 hours to prevent a meltdown at the power plant. there are conflicting reports out of japan on the severity of the situation. >> my guess is the things were happening so fast and changing so fast, they had so few people on the spot because of the high radiation levels that they just couldn't assess the whole thing. >> they cannot make a mistake or conflict or comments or anything like that. so they have to prepare very

well before they announce something. >> reporter: the fear is a nuclear disaster like chernobyl in the ukraine back in 1986. >> is it going to be as bad as chernobyl? i don't think so. because for the reason that it's a different reactor. there's no graphite. nears no graphite fire. there's no graphite dust. there is no nuclear explosion. >> reporter: the big question here is will a radioactive cloud make its way to california? >> as i was getting these questions about iodine tablets, when you should use it, here absolutely not. period. >> reporter: but measurements of radiation will probably reach california eventually, but -- >> just because we can measure something doesn't necessarily mean it's dangerous. >> reporter: we were told tonight that there is a radiation monitor on top of one of the engineering buildings here on campus. they say they're keeping a close watch on it. reporting live in berkeley, i'm cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news.

pictures of the devastation of japan have many of us wondering what would we do if it happened here? one bay area native has been living in northeast japan near ground zero for the quake and tsunami with her husband and two young children. tonight, she talked with maryann favreau about feeding her kids, being prepared and why she won't leave her adopted homeland to come back to the bay area. >> reporter: people in sendai are grateful for what they have. but it isn't much. >> we have -- yeah, we have lights and we have water. in our area. but we have no heating in terms of heating the water. so, for example, i have two kids. and i can't give them a bath or anything. so what i have to do is i have to boil water using our electrical -- i don't know how you explain it -- like a little electrical stove. >> reporter: food is being rationed. >> i can only buy five items. so i had to kind of, you know, pick and choose very carefully

to see what would be filling and also what would be -- what would last long enough. >> reporter: it's hard for the family especially her 4-year-old. >> he's been suffering i guess mentally because he's very shocked with the situation. i usually gather the kids in the middle of the room. it scares him. >> reporter: while life is hard and she misses her family and friends in san francisco, she's determined to stay put. >> i personally don't want to leave because i don't want to leave my husband behind. i know i have to think about my kids, but for my kids, i think being together as a family is the most important rather than, you know, being separated. >> reporter: an important message for all of us here in the bay area. >> just make sure that they're prepared. make sure they have an emergency backpack ready. >> reporter: maryann favreau, nbc bay area news. >> she tells us that tv stations

have been carrying news of bay area donations, and the japanese people have been very grateful for them. well, fortuitous or happ happenstance, one of the world's leading earthquake engineers happened to be in tokyo on business when the ground started rumbling. now amoto is surveying the damage in one of the areas most devastated by the tsunami. we've been talking with him via skype. we checked with him again tonight. he told us it's evident to him that japan's tsunami warning system did help save lives, but the sea walls protecting coastal cities were not as effective. his findings bittersweet for thi scientist who says he used to play on those very beaches as a child. >> actually, when i was a kid, i camped out on the beach. and i clearly remember the day, you know. and i remember people living in the area. now i know just the whole thing is actually wiped out.

and it was definitely tough to see that. >> as a scientist, he observed that while many steel and concrete buildings did survive the tsunami, the wood buildings in the tsunami zone were 100% destroyed. and given all the destruction there in japan including sendai's main hospital, we wondered, how would bay area hospitals, whether that same impact? we asked and we got some surprising answers. coming up in ten minutes, we'll show you the hospitals in need of urgent care and most at risk of collapsing here after a big earthquake. first, though, we're following developing news on the peninsula tonight with the thrill of riding giant waves turned tragic. a professional big-wave surfer from hawaii was found unconscious in the water. nbc bay area's jean elle is live with more on what happened. jean? >> reporter: garvin, surfers came out of the mavericks break tonight with tears in their eyes

after a big wave surfer was found floating in the water. >> it's impossible to keep track of everybody. it's hard to explain it. but the turbulence. >> reporter: big wave surfer grant washburn is reliving a painful accident at mavericks. professional surfer from hawaii was in the lineup this afternoon when something went wrong. the 35-year-old was found face down in the surf. >> i'm pretty sure that he wiped out on a big wave and got held down for a very long time. his board came away from him. so he had no leash. >> reporter: cal fire says crews responded to a drowning report around 6:51. he was rushed to the hospital. washburn says the waves may have been 40 feet. he says it was a day of close calls. >> i broke a leash and got pushed in a bit. i was a little tired. and i knew that the waves were substantial. and i probably should take a rest, and i did. >> reporter: friends say he was in the bay area just to ride the legendary waves at mavericks. he told surfing magazine in november one of his goals was to

enter the mavericks contest. friends are posting rest in peace messages on his facebook page. washburn says he loved chasing the biggest ride. >> he, in particular, is one of the guys that really loves riding these waves. it's exciting and fun. >> reporter: it's a dangerous thrill ride. in january a photographer on a jet ski found jacob trek floating lifeless in the water. he was rescued and survived. he is married with children. his friends tonight say his wife is on her way to the bay area from hawaii. reporting near half moon bay, jean elle, nbc bay area news. >> that is a tragedy. thank you. in moments our coverage of the zdisaster in japan continue with a focus on the bay area. >> some people just don't seem to understand this as a real issue and that people will dial. >> it is the first place you'll go when the big one strikes, but it could be the most dangerous. tonight the bay area medical facilities in need of urgent care. plus japan's ripple effect

on bay area dining. the devastation taking a toll at local restaurants. and 40 feet of highway 1 crashes into the pacific. more of these dramatic pictures when we take you there next. and good evening, i'm chief meteorologist jeff ranieri continuing to track a wave of aftershocks. the latest one in the past two hours. this makes over 109 of them here in the past six days. meanwhile, are weooking at g our way.al damage?ur y.wa com when the highest waves will arrive coming up. o

the disaster in japan reaching home tonight. this is the latest on the story we brought you first last night. california's two nuclear power plants sit on fault lines next to the ocean. state senators dianne feinstein and barbara boxer are demanding that the nuclear regulatory commission reinspect the safety of the reactors immediately. >> it was a 9.0 earthquake in a place when they never, ever thought? wouldn't you immediately say, as the lead person with all the american people behind you, guess what?

i'm independent. i represent the american people. and i want to make sure, and i'm going to go back to every plant that's on -- and not wait two years. find out now. >> senator boxer says she will not approve recertification of the plants if the new nrc can't prove the plants will withstand a strong quake and tsunami. more than 7 million people live in close proximity to the two plants. well, even now some bay area restaurants are feeling the effects of the disaster in japan because items they import for their menu aren't available anymore. >> to get a good amount of fish from japan from our market menu which is a real specialized menu. on the weekends, thursday, friday, saturday night. and that will be impacted by the earthquake and tsunami. >> the owners in san francisco say one of their chefs works with suppliers at the fish market in tokyo to get fish for their weekend menu. the market is the world's largest. and although it is open, its supply has dwindled due to lack

of fishermen and transportation. owners say in addition to the change on the menu, the disaster has hit home in other ways, too. >> we have three gentlemen standing behind me from japan and working with them to give a better understanding of how it's affecting friends and family in their life. >> it's been tough going all around. in terms of liquor, japanese beer, also hard to come by. breweries in japan are bottling water to stay in the country instead of exporting their products. highway 1 is closed south of carmel tonight. 40 feet of road washed out between palo colorado road and the bridge. we have dramatic video to show you that suggests the road will not be opening any time soon. this slide happened about 5:00 this evening. chp says the road will be closed at least for several days if not longer. fortunately no one was hurt. >> boy, they were lucky there. let's turn things over to jeff ranieri. jeff, it's been kind of a difficult days with the scattered rain all around us.

>> it's going to get even worse. one of the stronger storms we've seen in the past seven days going to be headed our way as we head into friday. so are we looking at more coastal damage? it looks like it at this point. we already have a high surf advisory posted for areas that were damaged by our tsunami wave action last friday including santa cruz where swells could be 12 to 16 feet as we head throughout thursday and friday. right up against the coastline. also in quick succession, 12 to 14 seconds in between each of those wave breaks they are forecasting right now. also down to the south as we just told you, highway 1 is closed right near the bixby bridge. this is an area that's going to be a big-time sore spot as we head into friday with rain, mud and debris slides that could also occur from this area where that 40-foot section of roadway just dropped right into the pacific. could more go right into the pacific? surely. if they don't get it shored up in time, it's going to be a pretty tough situation for the crews.

meanwhile, it's colder out there tonight. temperatures in the mid and upper 40s. so a little more of a chill as you wake up on your thursday morning. we're also starting to see winds increasing. and for thursday, just a chance here of scattered showers with that high surf advisory going into effect into the late evening hours. as we're going to be following two systems the rest of this week. the next storm system once again for friday with rain coming on back. not only the rain but we're also looking at windy periods. and even the chance here of some isolated thunderstorms throughout the bay area for your friday forecast. of course, that beach erosion as we highlighted. let's get a look at the time line. 10:00 p.m. friday. our first rain arrives by 7:00 a.m. also the noon hour, the rain stays with us. that will be the case with the chance of isolated thunderstorms on friday and also winds that could gust 20 to 40 miles per hour. some of the highest totals in the north bay where we could see upwards of one inch.

all right. meanwhile, our overnight forecast going to be a lot colder as we talked about, especially in the east bay with temperatures in the 30s from livermore right to walnut creek. we'll also see those isolated 30s for the north bay as well. on your seven-day forecast. yes, i am your daily calendar of reminders including those holidays. tomorrow, st. patrick's day, make sure you got your green on. we may have a little green when it comes to showers for thursday. otherwise isolated thunderstorms possible friday with those dangerous and possibly deadly rip currents. and for sunday, another area of thunderstorms will be moving our way. so a lot going on the next couple days. >> did you hear me sighing? i was, like, oh! >> i did. i'm sorry. >> i know it's not your fault. >> thank you very much. now back to our quake coverage with a question. when the big one hits california, what buildings are you worried about? your home? your work? your child at school? well, there's one more thing everyone should be concerned about, their local hospital. in the event of a disaster,

hospitals need to not just stand bufuncon. a recent investigation says not all are prepared to do that. >> reporter: an investigation by california watch found dozens of hospital buildings in the state with serious structural weaknesses. including ones at four bay area hospitals. based on a formula that comes up with something called a collapse risk, buildings at kindred hospital in san leandro, st. mary's medical center in san francisco, sf general, and john muir medical center all had collapsed risk scores between 9 and 23%. >> the way you get a very high score like that is if you have one of these deadly sins, these are structural flaws. >> reporter: christina jewett led california watch's investigation. >> when i talk to the people who work at these hospitals, i talk to patients who have been at these hospitals, they were shocked. >> i think we have a huge problem. >> reporter: this state senator

has been in the forefront pushing hospitals to speed up compliance. she says in addition to those buildings which have had collapse risk assessments done, there are literally hundreds which have not and have also been deemed to be at risk. >> we have 600 buildings, hospital buildings, that don't seem to be anywhere near meeting the standards. and that's a lot of buildings. >> reporter: a state law says hospitals have to meet standards by 2013 or face closure. many will not meet the deadline. but at san francisco general, they will. construction is already under way on a state-of-the-art acute care building. hospital administrators say just meeting the deadline was not the result of feet dragging on their part but lack of money. they couldn't act until voters did. approving more than $800 million in 2008. >> it came down to whether or not -- it wasn't a matter of us rebuilding the san francisco hospital. it was a matter of is there

going to be a san francisco general hospital? >> reporter: what will stand here is a building using base isolation technology, allowing the structure to float its way through an earthquake. it's the same technology that allowed many high-rise buildings in japan to sway but not break in the earthquake. something california hospitals will have to do if we are to avert disaster when and not if the next big one hits. one of the other disturbing findings of the california watch investigation was that while hospitals and governments knew of the dangers to some buildings, people who work there were generally in the dark about the situation. senator alquist drafted legislation to draft warning signs. up next, the ultimate expression ofltfuy. th loyalty. the japanese dog refusing to leave his injured friend. or 20 dollars off on the spot earn 5 storewide! and, unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save. get up to $20 off with no exclusions!

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with jcp cash, earn 10, 15 or 20 dollars off on the spot storewide! and, unlike other stores, we don't make you come back to save. get up to $20 off with no exclusions! we make it affordable. you make it yours. jcpenney. the japanese are known for their loyalty and fortitude. and apparently that extends to their animals as well. including this dog who refused to leave his canine friend. about an hour ago rescuers finally calmed him down enough to leave the side of his injured buddy. the weaker dog now at a veterinary clinic. while the dog who stood guard is being cared for at a shelter. we'l wel be back in a mom'lent.

good evening. it was bollywood night in oakland. with the warriors hosting dallas, it was the same old song and dance. they passed out "got curry?" t-shirts. our own raj mathai hosting a meet and greet with fans. monta ellis finding wright for the jam. an early lead. ellis, 26 points. got curry with the assist here. golden state holds the lead for a while. east bay native jason kidd had just four points. but this three is pretty big tying it at 96-96. down the stretch, dirk was just deadly. game high 34 points. the warriors flow an 18-point lead. in a 112-106 loss to dallas.

the ncaa tournament in full gear tomorrow while other postseason tournaments carry on. st. mary's and san jose state are done after losing last night. cal wanting to avoid that same fate hosting ole miss tonight. n.i.t. opener. off to a hot start. a lot of energy. gutierrez had 9 of the first 20 points. the rebels fired back and made it a game. cal turned to conference freshman of the year allen crab to send him back to oxford. 20 points for crab and a 77-74 cal win in berkeley. usf and the cit with the circle of friendship. welcoming the idaho vandals. and the dons looking sharp working the lane. their center. diara with the jam. extending that halftime lead making head coach rex walters proud. in transition, they would hit several threes tonight. micheal williams had three of those. and usf just like santa clara last night moving on to the cit with an 81-73 win.

just a couple more spring training starts left for each member of the giants' rotation. tim lincecum looked ready for the regular season and so did one of the top prospects. let's start with lincecum. he went 5 1/3 against the white sox this afternoon in glendale. he had seven strikeouts and gave up just one run for his third win of spring. the other big story of the day emerging top six. well, top prospect brandon bell. he is continuing to give gm brian sabian and bruce bochy reasons to have him on the opening day roster. i don't know what it means, maybe huff in left. the home run today, his second of spring. the giants roll to a 5-3 win and get set to host the angels tomorrow. the a's, they had the day off from cactus league play. watch out for that belt. he's got a good whip in his bat. >> do we have a nickname left? i'm thinking the big shuffle. you just coined it. you said the big shuffle. >> i'll take it.

let' seef itit works. the big shuffle. >> that's what we're going with. we'll be right back.

welcome back, everyone. jeff joins us one more time. not severe weather but weather we've got to watch out if you're on the coast, right? >> as we head into the next 48 hours, we'll be following a stronger system for friday that's going to kick up dangerous waves, possibly beach erosion with isolated thunderstorms. we could see a half inch to an inch and wind gusts that could

gust 20 to 40 miles per hour. sundays, another stronger storm system. we don't want to forget tomorrow, yes, it is st. patrick's day. just a slight chance of a shower and plenty of sunshine. everyone's going to be able to see what you're wearing very clearly out there. so don't forget the green. >> right. and lock your doors because those mischievous leprechauns like to come in the middle of the night. thanks going to do it for us. thanks for being here, garvin. we'll see you tomorrow. from "outscourced,"